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Dear J: Don't think so; just called the number and spoke to one of the waitresses.

As someone who has read comics -- including Batman comics -- for more than 20 years, I found Ledger's portrayal of the Joker to be very consistent with some of the more modern takes on the character. The criticism that he didn't display any of his trademark humor really just points to a lack of understanding about the character: the Joker isn't supposed to be funny. He's supposed to be insane, an agent of chaos, which is what makes him a perfect foil for the equally mentally disturbed Batman, whose is relentless in his quest is to impose order. The gags that were the hallmark of the character in portrayals ranging from Cesar Romero to Jack Nicholson have no place in a post-modern, post-ironic context, which is absolutely what Nolan and company were going for (and, I would argue, achieved). The Joker in "Dark Knight" isn't meant to be silly or campy. He's there to represent something Batman can't hope to ever truly stop: someone who destroys without reason, whose only point in life is to f**k stuff up because he's f**ked up.
As for why Batman just doesn't kill him and get it over with, that's something comic fans have been asking for decades. The answer is fairly simple: Batman is a hero, and heroes don't kill. Of course, that has become ethically harder to swallow as the Joker (and countless other villains) have escaped time and again to terrorize the innocents of Gotham, and Batman's inability to put a permanent stop to their rampages makes him arguably complicit in their crimes. But therein lies the great internal struggle, which has allowed this character -- and others like him -- to continue a successful serialized career for more than 60 years now.

It's not the most original horror film set-up, but I thought it pulled off its conceit nicely. There were some decent jumpy moments, and also some unintentionally hilarious spots where the whole theater was bursting into fits of nervous laughter. The exposition parts were a bit clunky, but I appreciated the effort to explain what exactly was going on, and what caused it, versus "Clovefield," where it was just, "It's a monster, and it's destroying Manhattan, deal with it."

I love the Cherry Bomb sauce; I'll eat it on almost anything. The fried pickles taste better than they sound. If you're on a diet, they have some legitimately healthy (ish) dishes. And it's a good place to take kids.

The food at KC Tea & Noodle is uniformally pretty good -- it has one of the best sesame chickens I've found in the area -- but you'll pay slightly more than at other Chinese restaurants. However, the shredded fruit bubble teas are worth every single penny. I know bubble tea is so three years ago in NYC, but I don't care. It's a perfect, refreshing pick-me-up, and the mix of sweet, fresh strawberries and the gummy tapioca pearls at the bottom hits the spot every time.

Incredibly cute little sandwich shop in the South Wedge; the whole presentation is very chic. I had the tuna melt, and the tuna salad -- oil based rather than mayo -- was scrumptious. The extra-thick toast it was on was overcooked, and honestly was way too much for the salad on top of it, but the presentation was lovely. The ginger carrots are an exciting, tasty side. The half moon/chocolate chip cookies peeking out from the bakery case were awfully tempting, but I resisted. I've been craving them since.

A refined yet casual restaurant with a very hip atmosphere. A nice selection of small plate meals. The fried polenta cake with mushroom ragout was out of this world, and the pommes frites had a nice spicy kick and came in a VERY generous portion. The price is a little steep, but not unreasonable. I'll definitely be going back.

I'm surprised this got such a high rating on IMDB. Everyone I know -- including myself -- has been kind of disappointed by this movie. The performances are good, but it's not a particularly entertaining film. There are absolutely no likable characters, except for Brad Pitt's character, who was more puppy than man. I walked out of the theater feeling nothing but the filmmakers' almost palpable disdain for America, and its citizens. And that's fine, but...not exactly a movie that made we want to rush out and see it again.